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Tuesday, September 26, 2023
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Friday, October 30, 2015
Tuesday, October 20, 2015
Eva's 2!
Little Eva's two. And our family has reached a new equilibrium. We
celebrate every day for the happy place we have finally arrived at. The
girls are learning to play and have fun. Braden and I are gaining more independence and finding time for ourselves and each other.
Eva is a sweet and funny little person. Last week, I was putting dishes away and sneezed. She immediately and instictively said "Bless you Momma". She's very thoughtful and considerate of others (most of the time). All week, we've been singing Happy Birthday in preperation for her day and she consistently redirected to others wanting us to sing the song to other people too.
I think she looks like me but has Braden's temperament.
She loves animals...both the live, breathing and stuffed kind. We took her to a local farm yesterday and she loved interacting with all the critters big and small.
She LOVES to drive. She tells us that she's going fast. I'm hoping this is a passing fancy.
Sports and the associated balls are a favorite too. She especially likes soccer.
Shoes. All and any shoes. If you come to our house and take you shoes off, they will be on her little feet minutes later.
She likes to sleep. Putting her down for a nap and bed are not an issue (saying prayers that this continues). But we can't get her off the bottles. They have become part of the routine. I know pediatricians every where are cringing. She's a decent eater. Meats and veggies are not high on the list but neither are breads. She really, really likes fruit.
She likes to climb. TV is a take or leave it. Curious George, particularly the lobby dog, Hundley are a regular request. She's not into books as much as Ellie was. She has great verbal abilites and is picking up spanish well. She surprised us this week counting up to Diez.
She holds her own socially. She is generally outgoing and happy to meet people of kinds and sizes. But never confrontational with other kids. She knows when to walk away and when to assert herself.
She's about or over 30lbs. Solidly 36ins and wearing 3T's.
I think this video captures the happiness we get to see in her every day. She has been sunshine in our lives this year.
Love you so very much Little Eva!
Video of Eva @ 2 - Domino's Farm Ann Arbor.
Eva is a sweet and funny little person. Last week, I was putting dishes away and sneezed. She immediately and instictively said "Bless you Momma". She's very thoughtful and considerate of others (most of the time). All week, we've been singing Happy Birthday in preperation for her day and she consistently redirected to others wanting us to sing the song to other people too.
I think she looks like me but has Braden's temperament.
She loves animals...both the live, breathing and stuffed kind. We took her to a local farm yesterday and she loved interacting with all the critters big and small.
She LOVES to drive. She tells us that she's going fast. I'm hoping this is a passing fancy.
Sports and the associated balls are a favorite too. She especially likes soccer.
Shoes. All and any shoes. If you come to our house and take you shoes off, they will be on her little feet minutes later.
She likes to sleep. Putting her down for a nap and bed are not an issue (saying prayers that this continues). But we can't get her off the bottles. They have become part of the routine. I know pediatricians every where are cringing. She's a decent eater. Meats and veggies are not high on the list but neither are breads. She really, really likes fruit.
She likes to climb. TV is a take or leave it. Curious George, particularly the lobby dog, Hundley are a regular request. She's not into books as much as Ellie was. She has great verbal abilites and is picking up spanish well. She surprised us this week counting up to Diez.
She holds her own socially. She is generally outgoing and happy to meet people of kinds and sizes. But never confrontational with other kids. She knows when to walk away and when to assert herself.
She's about or over 30lbs. Solidly 36ins and wearing 3T's.
I think this video captures the happiness we get to see in her every day. She has been sunshine in our lives this year.
Love you so very much Little Eva!
Video of Eva @ 2 - Domino's Farm Ann Arbor.
Monday, September 14, 2015
Responsibility
Ellie has recently purchased a fish. B and I are not big pet people. Although we love animals, we don't like caring for animals.
Ellie has wanted an animal in the worst way this past year. We agreed a fish would be a good place to start. She is suppose to take care of the twice a day feedings. Within days she wasn't happy about all the responsibility. Mission accomplished in our opinion.
But I couldn't miss the opportunity to capture her little voice in this VM about "Josh" the fish.
Saturday, September 12, 2015
I'm 22 Months
She's been talking and singing. She loves athletic endeavors...kicking, throwing balls, swimming, etc.
Her personality seems to parallel Braden's... Nice and easy going. Just want to eat her up!
Loving this phase...although being a second time parent am on high alert for the terrible twos ;)
Monday, September 7, 2015
Ellie at Five
I've been dragging my feet to write this yearly birthday note. It's been a very special year for our family but capturing the essence of it feels difficult. We've hit an inflection point, a new normal.
We've worked really hard this year to grow as a family. We have worked to reorient the relationships so that it wasn't always Momma/Eva and Ellie/Daddy. It feels like it's been a good focus for all of us. I know Ellie still has lots of moments when she prefers being with Daddy. But I don't feel the same resistance to having me be the person hanging with her or doing things for her. One of my favorite parts of the day is snuggling with her at bedtime. Her body almost fills the curve of mine. But when she's quiet and calm, she shares her thoughts and is most loving.
Ellie continues to be full of gusto! I recently finished reading the book about Spirited Children and it really hit the nail on the head. She's just "more". She's more intense than most. She's more determined. She's more perceptive. And for sure more sensitive. Although it's hard to see through her precociousness, she's very soft and sensitive. She doesn't like when Braden and I have disagreements. If I'm tense, she seems to reflect it and we struggle. I have worked really hard to be in place where I can stay as calm and present as possible. When I do, our day flows much better.
Like every other year, she has grown and changed in amazing ways. The only remaining part of being little is the dimples on her knuckles. Her hair is a horse main of auburn colored hair. She's 47ins and 50lbs. The little blond hairs on her legs have fully grown in. There's no longer a reference to a "T" on any of her clothes or shoes. She's wearing size 13 shoes and size 8/medium clothing. It's all full childhood stuff.
She still has tummy troubles. But her awareness of it has made resolving easier. At her new is school, they provide lunches and she's "forced" to try new foods since it's all that is available for lunch. She's more open to meats, veggies and fruits.
We have also found that if we keep her sleep area bright with light that she sleeps much better. (Nighttime and darkness has never been my thing and she seems to have the same dislike).
So between, better eating and sleeping and maturing, Ellie's daily temperament has evened out. She's venturing into the world more. She impressively will engage adults help in stores or other places. She's not afraid to ask for help.
She still very much enjoys big body stuff. She switched from gymnastics to swimming over the summer. I would say she is most skilled at skiing (also now able to do on her own) and swimming. We are just starting ballet.
In the last few months, Ellie has started to see Eva as a potential playmate. But the road to blissful siblinghood is long. B and I have been working hard to help them both learn how to engage the other. The 3 year difference is a pretty big stretch to cover in comprehension and physical size. Eva comes up to Ellie's chest.
If you were to ask her, her favorite color is purple, she loves all treats, she doesn't really have best friends, her cousins are pretty important. She doesn't like wearing pants with buttons. All clothing should be comfy and easy to move in. She loves TV. All new experiences excite her. Being outside calms her.
She's processing the beginning of math. She can do basic addition using numbers below 10. She's beginning to process letters being words and is starting to recognize sight words. Her disdain for Spanish comes and goes.
Although she keeps us on our toes...always! We count our blessings for an Ellie. She's on an adventure and we're going to tag along.
We've worked really hard this year to grow as a family. We have worked to reorient the relationships so that it wasn't always Momma/Eva and Ellie/Daddy. It feels like it's been a good focus for all of us. I know Ellie still has lots of moments when she prefers being with Daddy. But I don't feel the same resistance to having me be the person hanging with her or doing things for her. One of my favorite parts of the day is snuggling with her at bedtime. Her body almost fills the curve of mine. But when she's quiet and calm, she shares her thoughts and is most loving.
Ellie continues to be full of gusto! I recently finished reading the book about Spirited Children and it really hit the nail on the head. She's just "more". She's more intense than most. She's more determined. She's more perceptive. And for sure more sensitive. Although it's hard to see through her precociousness, she's very soft and sensitive. She doesn't like when Braden and I have disagreements. If I'm tense, she seems to reflect it and we struggle. I have worked really hard to be in place where I can stay as calm and present as possible. When I do, our day flows much better.
Like every other year, she has grown and changed in amazing ways. The only remaining part of being little is the dimples on her knuckles. Her hair is a horse main of auburn colored hair. She's 47ins and 50lbs. The little blond hairs on her legs have fully grown in. There's no longer a reference to a "T" on any of her clothes or shoes. She's wearing size 13 shoes and size 8/medium clothing. It's all full childhood stuff.
She still has tummy troubles. But her awareness of it has made resolving easier. At her new is school, they provide lunches and she's "forced" to try new foods since it's all that is available for lunch. She's more open to meats, veggies and fruits.
We have also found that if we keep her sleep area bright with light that she sleeps much better. (Nighttime and darkness has never been my thing and she seems to have the same dislike).
So between, better eating and sleeping and maturing, Ellie's daily temperament has evened out. She's venturing into the world more. She impressively will engage adults help in stores or other places. She's not afraid to ask for help.
She still very much enjoys big body stuff. She switched from gymnastics to swimming over the summer. I would say she is most skilled at skiing (also now able to do on her own) and swimming. We are just starting ballet.
In the last few months, Ellie has started to see Eva as a potential playmate. But the road to blissful siblinghood is long. B and I have been working hard to help them both learn how to engage the other. The 3 year difference is a pretty big stretch to cover in comprehension and physical size. Eva comes up to Ellie's chest.
If you were to ask her, her favorite color is purple, she loves all treats, she doesn't really have best friends, her cousins are pretty important. She doesn't like wearing pants with buttons. All clothing should be comfy and easy to move in. She loves TV. All new experiences excite her. Being outside calms her.
She's processing the beginning of math. She can do basic addition using numbers below 10. She's beginning to process letters being words and is starting to recognize sight words. Her disdain for Spanish comes and goes.
Although she keeps us on our toes...always! We count our blessings for an Ellie. She's on an adventure and we're going to tag along.
Wednesday, September 2, 2015
Ellie's First Day at Big Kid School
Ellie started at St Thomas the Apostle in their Young 5's program. She visited the other day and was excited to start today. Both Braden and I went as moral support. But no support needed. She barely remembered to hug us goodbye. She was off on her next adventure. She's keeps telling people she is going to learn about God at her special school. I guess we are doing our job but it's not easy to think that this is the first day of her new life building relationships outside of our house. I started a new grocery list post drop-off and it had Proverbs 22:6 at the bottom. God is good and it made me smile. |
Saturday, July 25, 2015
Farm Living
We went to a local artisan farm this morning. They specialize in goat cheese among other yummy products. It was part farm, part gardens and all fun. The girls feed their goats grass and whatever else they could pluck from the ground for an hour.
Makes me sad we don't get to experience farm living more often. I think God intended for us to live connected to nature, not in buildings all our lives.
It was a special morning...
Tuesday, April 28, 2015
Friday, January 9, 2015
Ellie's Thoughts on God
I've been taking classes at our local seminary the last couple of semesters. I've grown distant from God and my faith over the last couple of decades. I'm working to really understand the Christian history and teachings.
As there has been more general talk of God in the house, Ellie has been chiming in with her thoughts. It's been fascinating the kinds of insights she shares.
For instance this morning, we were headed back into her room and it was dark because the curtains were closed. She asked me to turned the lights on so she could see better. I told her we just needed to open the curtains.
Without even thinking she was quick to respond..."That's a good idea Momma...we'll just use God's light...it's free!"
I haven't thought about daylight being a gift from God but it really is. How neat that children intuitively know what it takes adults going to class to learn.
I'm jealous and sad all at the same time. Jealous because they have a connection adults have lost. And sad knowing it will probably happen to them too.
But in the mean time, it's wondrous to hear all her God thoughts :)
Monday, January 5, 2015
Friday, December 19, 2014
Momma's Directions
Good to know just in case Google crashes some day :)
Wednesday, December 10, 2014
1 (year) plus 1 (month) = Walker
Arghhh...I started this post a couple weeks ago on her 13th month bday. But just getting around to finishing it today :(
Eva's 13 Months old and such a different little person. She started walking two weeks ago with her first steps. Two weeks later, we she's trying to walk more than crawl. It's been a brutle week for bruises though. As she's getting braver and braver and attempting more walking, the number of crashes and the falls have been exponential. I keep flinching and hoping that we move past this phase quickly.
She's also "talking" a ton more. She's using lots of signs (although they it only looks like there are 3 since her little fingers and hands have only so much dexterity). She's correctly calling out mama and dada and says "All Done" with a great clarity.
Monday, October 27, 2014
Happy First Birthday Eva!
Here we are. We crossed the threshold of our first year with Miss Eva. Go us! It was not always the most pretty of days/weeks/months but we are definitely better for the experiences. Eva is an absolute love. I was free to enjoy and experience more of her first year. Ellie was and is such an ongoing experiment. Especially her first year. I had no idea what my parenting "voice" was and what I was doing in life (ie. leaving the corporate world for a life at home).
With Eva three years later, I had more personal foundation and less worries about breaking her. I've come to appreciate that children come pre-programmed. I can coach, but who they "really" are was already determined by God. And fortunately or unfortunately, I had less time to dot on Eva and as a result, she seems much more patient and self soothing for it. She'll play by herself for long stretches.
She's not afraid to explore and we've been happy to oblige. We see how important discovery has been to Ellie's development. We see how much Ellie wants to do "real" things (use real tools to fix things, real things to clean, real cookware to cook, etc) and how hard she's willing to work to learn. So with Eva, we've done a lot less baby proofing. Yes, there's been more finger pinching but she's learned quickly how to navigate around the real world.
We had a big party to celebrate her first year. Being a couple days post, the chaos of hosting 50 people has already vanished and I'm left with the wonderful memories of all our family surrounding us. We had Grandma and Grandpas, Aunts and Uncles, Brothers, Sisters and Cousins of multiple generations. How blessed are we.
As for Miss Eva, here are some observations of who she's become over the year. You came into this world at 8:39pm, 7lbs 1oz, 19.75ins and have grown to over 23lbs and 30.75" (I think it's funny that in both cases that she's .75"...those precise doctors). She has six teeth (the first four on top and two bottom). She is very close to walking. She just has to want to do it. She uses walkers with one hand but hasn't shown much interest in trying to go without. She still loveeessss all animals. She's squeal with whole body excitement when she sees any outside and will hug and kiss the stuffed kind all day long. She sleeps with one or more small ones and is comforted by their presence. (And sleeps well...two naps during the day and 12 hrs at night.)
Food is just not a "thing" for Eva. She doesn't seem all that interested in it. So it seems like I'm offering food to her all day long. We're cutting back on milk in the hopes that it creates more desire in solids. We're also feeding her more table food in the hopes that we don't create another picker eater. One that only seems interested in what she ate as a toddler.
Ellie and Eva have a traditional sibling relationship. Ellie loves to be the older, wiser one. She loves to tell Eva what she can and can't do. She picks all the better things for herself. And for the most part Eva is only too happy to oblige. She adores Ellie. But she also has started to hold her ground when it comes to objects that she possessed first. She'll grip the item trying to be snatched and hold on for dear life while objecting with high pitched screaming. It's an often a successful effort with "sister" releasing or an adult intervening. As parents, we are often happy to see the little fighter coming out. The world of childhood is a tough one and it takes some standing up for ones self.
But the flip side of the Ellie and Eva relationship, is that Ellie will totally love on and protect Eva if we're outside of the house. I think Ellie still struggles with sharing our house and it's contents. She did "own" everything for the first 3 years of her little life.
Eva is a happy little person that loves to be around people. She'll forgo eating and sleeping if people are around. I'm excited to see more of her little personality come out this next year. I see her desire to communicate more and more so I know it's not far away. Love you little Eva.
With Eva three years later, I had more personal foundation and less worries about breaking her. I've come to appreciate that children come pre-programmed. I can coach, but who they "really" are was already determined by God. And fortunately or unfortunately, I had less time to dot on Eva and as a result, she seems much more patient and self soothing for it. She'll play by herself for long stretches.
She's not afraid to explore and we've been happy to oblige. We see how important discovery has been to Ellie's development. We see how much Ellie wants to do "real" things (use real tools to fix things, real things to clean, real cookware to cook, etc) and how hard she's willing to work to learn. So with Eva, we've done a lot less baby proofing. Yes, there's been more finger pinching but she's learned quickly how to navigate around the real world.
We had a big party to celebrate her first year. Being a couple days post, the chaos of hosting 50 people has already vanished and I'm left with the wonderful memories of all our family surrounding us. We had Grandma and Grandpas, Aunts and Uncles, Brothers, Sisters and Cousins of multiple generations. How blessed are we.
As for Miss Eva, here are some observations of who she's become over the year. You came into this world at 8:39pm, 7lbs 1oz, 19.75ins and have grown to over 23lbs and 30.75" (I think it's funny that in both cases that she's .75"...those precise doctors). She has six teeth (the first four on top and two bottom). She is very close to walking. She just has to want to do it. She uses walkers with one hand but hasn't shown much interest in trying to go without. She still loveeessss all animals. She's squeal with whole body excitement when she sees any outside and will hug and kiss the stuffed kind all day long. She sleeps with one or more small ones and is comforted by their presence. (And sleeps well...two naps during the day and 12 hrs at night.)
Food is just not a "thing" for Eva. She doesn't seem all that interested in it. So it seems like I'm offering food to her all day long. We're cutting back on milk in the hopes that it creates more desire in solids. We're also feeding her more table food in the hopes that we don't create another picker eater. One that only seems interested in what she ate as a toddler.
Ellie and Eva have a traditional sibling relationship. Ellie loves to be the older, wiser one. She loves to tell Eva what she can and can't do. She picks all the better things for herself. And for the most part Eva is only too happy to oblige. She adores Ellie. But she also has started to hold her ground when it comes to objects that she possessed first. She'll grip the item trying to be snatched and hold on for dear life while objecting with high pitched screaming. It's an often a successful effort with "sister" releasing or an adult intervening. As parents, we are often happy to see the little fighter coming out. The world of childhood is a tough one and it takes some standing up for ones self.
But the flip side of the Ellie and Eva relationship, is that Ellie will totally love on and protect Eva if we're outside of the house. I think Ellie still struggles with sharing our house and it's contents. She did "own" everything for the first 3 years of her little life.
Eva is a happy little person that loves to be around people. She'll forgo eating and sleeping if people are around. I'm excited to see more of her little personality come out this next year. I see her desire to communicate more and more so I know it's not far away. Love you little Eva.
Wednesday, October 22, 2014
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
11 Months for Little e
Another month closer to the big milestone bday. You are becoming such a little person. You have all sorts of opinions about what you like (stuffed animals, fruits, touching everything) and what you don't like (veggies, diaper changes, walking). You sign the word "more" for everything...you use to let us know that you want something...food, toys, something you see. Although you've started using push toys to "walk", you have little interest in actually walking. You can cruise around furniture and use the extra "standing" height when needed, but crawling is your preferred mode of transportation. If Daddy holds your hands and encourages you to "walk", you buckle at the knees and cry a most miserable wale. It appears you are a pretty strong willed person.
You are now completely formula fed. It seems to be a good thing for all of us. You are consistently sleeping from 8pm to 7am with two solids naps (one in the morning and one in the afternoon). You are pretty easy going though if we miss a nap. Your patience it still appreciated for the times when we just can't meet your needs first.
As for food, your 5 little teeth help crunch through most things. But you don't seem all that motivated by food. You tend to be indifferent at meal times. You definitely are picky about what you eat. You are up for trying new foods but prefer the sweets. And never seem to melt down due to food.
In addition to the baby sign more, there are other ones that are starting to appear. The most recent is milk. All the other signs (dog, milk, all done, fan and light) are more situational than your use of "more". You can tell that the use of "more" is your first way to communicate your needs and wants. Speaking of signing, we have started the third round of baby signing class. It is the one time a week that you are around little people your size. We sing and play with toys. You like crawling all around the room (visiting different parts and people) and you like the singing. You play well with others and seem to enjoy the company.
You share your affection and are good about giving kisses to those you love. You seem to also include all animals among your most loved. Whether they are stuffed, real or on TV, you squeal with delight when there's an animal around. The stuffed kind seem most open to your affections. When you receive an stuffed animal, you immediately reach around the neck and give the biggest squeeze and then with such excitement, you kiss their little faces. You have favorites (horse, bunny and monkey) but all animals are accepted.
Your hair is just reaching into your eyes so I've started the search for a way to manage the bangs while your hair grows out. Clips don't last long. They are quickly pulled out and chewed on. I've started to make a little pony tail that sits on the top of your head with the little plastic hair bands. But in fits of frustration, those come out too.
Your eyes seem to be slowly reaching a hazel of some sort. And your hair maintains a strawberry blond color. You still seem like a robust size, although we won't know how much so until the one year visit.
You are now completely formula fed. It seems to be a good thing for all of us. You are consistently sleeping from 8pm to 7am with two solids naps (one in the morning and one in the afternoon). You are pretty easy going though if we miss a nap. Your patience it still appreciated for the times when we just can't meet your needs first.
As for food, your 5 little teeth help crunch through most things. But you don't seem all that motivated by food. You tend to be indifferent at meal times. You definitely are picky about what you eat. You are up for trying new foods but prefer the sweets. And never seem to melt down due to food.
In addition to the baby sign more, there are other ones that are starting to appear. The most recent is milk. All the other signs (dog, milk, all done, fan and light) are more situational than your use of "more". You can tell that the use of "more" is your first way to communicate your needs and wants. Speaking of signing, we have started the third round of baby signing class. It is the one time a week that you are around little people your size. We sing and play with toys. You like crawling all around the room (visiting different parts and people) and you like the singing. You play well with others and seem to enjoy the company.
You share your affection and are good about giving kisses to those you love. You seem to also include all animals among your most loved. Whether they are stuffed, real or on TV, you squeal with delight when there's an animal around. The stuffed kind seem most open to your affections. When you receive an stuffed animal, you immediately reach around the neck and give the biggest squeeze and then with such excitement, you kiss their little faces. You have favorites (horse, bunny and monkey) but all animals are accepted.
Your hair is just reaching into your eyes so I've started the search for a way to manage the bangs while your hair grows out. Clips don't last long. They are quickly pulled out and chewed on. I've started to make a little pony tail that sits on the top of your head with the little plastic hair bands. But in fits of frustration, those come out too.
Your eyes seem to be slowly reaching a hazel of some sort. And your hair maintains a strawberry blond color. You still seem like a robust size, although we won't know how much so until the one year visit.
Monday, September 8, 2014
Ellie's 4 Years Big
After months of asking if you were four, you have officially reached the day! You are four and a big four at that. You are wearing size 7 tops and size 6 bottoms. You are almost 50lbs and a size 11 shoe.
You are all girl now. There's no more round little toddler tummy. On certain days, your lean, mean tummy looks six packish. Your legs have "prickly" hair (in your words) all over. You recently received a "hockey tooth" from a swing. We cut your long, thick hair to shoulder length to overcome daily arguments about getting your hair brushed. You love having your nails painted (each a different color).
Parenting victories this year include de-pacifiering, fully potty trained, reducing the obsession with milk (only 2 cups at bedtime), you have been sleeping through the night for a month now (!) and introducing a sibling without going to the crazy house (came close though). Your food habits are no better than last year though. You would much prefer dairy and breads to fruits and veggies and meats.
Speaking of a sibling. You love Eva (and are soooo excited for her to play with you) and she ADORES you. She wants to be near you and wants your acknowledgement all the time. It was a hard transition though. Who knows what begot what but we struggled with defiance (we thought 2 was bad...three was way harder) for months this year. But with lots of good counsel and reading and trial and error, we seem to have found a good place for our family. We all seem much happier and having so much more fun these days.
Your comprehension of the world continues to astound us. We have to watch what we say and how we say things. You can pick on the context of conversation and apply it to your own dialogue. You continue to love figuring out how things work. We spent much of August traveling around Michigan doing all sorts of things (zoo, festivals, air show, etc.) But your favorite visit, by far, was to the Ford Rouge car factory. You loved all the machines working to assemble the various parts of the F-150 truck. You loved the conveyors running over head. You asked really good questions about why things were they way they are. You ran from one section to the next out of shear excitement and curiosity of what would come next. We laughed with glee since it's something we love too. We came home and introduced you to the "How it's made" TV show and you watched for hours as they show how each thing comes together.
You and your Daddy bonded in a way that was very sweet this year. You two have always been close but with Eva's arrival and my nursing duty, I just wasn't available in the same way. I do get jealous because most of the time your response is "I want Daddy to do it". But I'm grateful that you have such a great male role model. I hope you end up with someone as special and amazing as your Dad.
At school, you have found your stride at Community Daycare. They love you and you love them. They tell us how well you play with everyone. Boys, girls, older kids, younger kids, everyone. It doesn't surprise us. You love people. You love talking to anyone and everyone. Our neighbor goes for a walk twice a day, you love watching for her and running to the door screaming "Hi, Alice!" sometimes (with or without all pieces of clothing). I think your warmth endears you to adults...you are refreshingly loving to all.
Don't get me wrong, you are all preschooler too. Not always the sweetest person. You can be a big handful when you are hungry or tired. You will not budge if you don't want to....for anyone or anything. Daddy and I have become much smarter about when and how to pick our battles. You can melt down with the best of them. Daddy and I recorded you saying " I don't want to" for at least 5 minutes through screams and tears recently. Yes, you are all child too.
My hopes for this upcoming year include, more bonding as a family unit (I want to get rid of Mommy/Eva and Daddy/Ellie divides), get us all to a place where we eat the same dinner (overcome the food controlling stuff), continue to build your relationship with Eva (siblings are some of our most important friends) and prepare you for beginner-garten next year (we've already decided that we're going to wait for kindergarten, deferring a year, since you're a bubble kid).
I love who you are becoming and am trying so hard to remember "the days might be long, but the years are so short".
All My Love, Mommy
You are all girl now. There's no more round little toddler tummy. On certain days, your lean, mean tummy looks six packish. Your legs have "prickly" hair (in your words) all over. You recently received a "hockey tooth" from a swing. We cut your long, thick hair to shoulder length to overcome daily arguments about getting your hair brushed. You love having your nails painted (each a different color).
Parenting victories this year include de-pacifiering, fully potty trained, reducing the obsession with milk (only 2 cups at bedtime), you have been sleeping through the night for a month now (!) and introducing a sibling without going to the crazy house (came close though). Your food habits are no better than last year though. You would much prefer dairy and breads to fruits and veggies and meats.
Speaking of a sibling. You love Eva (and are soooo excited for her to play with you) and she ADORES you. She wants to be near you and wants your acknowledgement all the time. It was a hard transition though. Who knows what begot what but we struggled with defiance (we thought 2 was bad...three was way harder) for months this year. But with lots of good counsel and reading and trial and error, we seem to have found a good place for our family. We all seem much happier and having so much more fun these days.
Your comprehension of the world continues to astound us. We have to watch what we say and how we say things. You can pick on the context of conversation and apply it to your own dialogue. You continue to love figuring out how things work. We spent much of August traveling around Michigan doing all sorts of things (zoo, festivals, air show, etc.) But your favorite visit, by far, was to the Ford Rouge car factory. You loved all the machines working to assemble the various parts of the F-150 truck. You loved the conveyors running over head. You asked really good questions about why things were they way they are. You ran from one section to the next out of shear excitement and curiosity of what would come next. We laughed with glee since it's something we love too. We came home and introduced you to the "How it's made" TV show and you watched for hours as they show how each thing comes together.
You and your Daddy bonded in a way that was very sweet this year. You two have always been close but with Eva's arrival and my nursing duty, I just wasn't available in the same way. I do get jealous because most of the time your response is "I want Daddy to do it". But I'm grateful that you have such a great male role model. I hope you end up with someone as special and amazing as your Dad.
At school, you have found your stride at Community Daycare. They love you and you love them. They tell us how well you play with everyone. Boys, girls, older kids, younger kids, everyone. It doesn't surprise us. You love people. You love talking to anyone and everyone. Our neighbor goes for a walk twice a day, you love watching for her and running to the door screaming "Hi, Alice!" sometimes (with or without all pieces of clothing). I think your warmth endears you to adults...you are refreshingly loving to all.
Don't get me wrong, you are all preschooler too. Not always the sweetest person. You can be a big handful when you are hungry or tired. You will not budge if you don't want to....for anyone or anything. Daddy and I have become much smarter about when and how to pick our battles. You can melt down with the best of them. Daddy and I recorded you saying " I don't want to" for at least 5 minutes through screams and tears recently. Yes, you are all child too.
My hopes for this upcoming year include, more bonding as a family unit (I want to get rid of Mommy/Eva and Daddy/Ellie divides), get us all to a place where we eat the same dinner (overcome the food controlling stuff), continue to build your relationship with Eva (siblings are some of our most important friends) and prepare you for beginner-garten next year (we've already decided that we're going to wait for kindergarten, deferring a year, since you're a bubble kid).
I love who you are becoming and am trying so hard to remember "the days might be long, but the years are so short".
All My Love, Mommy
Monday, September 1, 2014
10 Months and Counting for Eva Gail
It's been a busy month of vacationing. We've been here there and everywhere in Michigan exploring all sorts of fun places. Connecting and reconnecting as a family of four. All the while, Eva continued her march to toddlerhood. She's signing multiple words, got 2 more teeth (for a total of 4), started pulling up to standing, learned to clap, play games, follow simple commands and verbalize her sounds (ma, ba, da). We don't have a dr's appt this month but from the look of it, she's leaning out.
Sleep has graced our house after such a long time away. Eva's down to one wakeup and will go all through the night if the conditions are just right. So we are a much happier set of parents.
We also learned that she loves, loves, loves animals. She squeals with absolute delight when she sees one close by. Her favorite seems to be dogs (she'll excitedly sign dog if you watch closely). If you give her a stuffed toy animal, she'll bury her face in it and will squeeze it nice and tight. It's a sweet personality trait developing.
With all the time we've spent together, Eva and Braden have strengthened their bond. Plus, I'm only nursing once a day so she's being fed equally by me and Braden. She's still more likely to come to me but she's also starting to seek comfort and playtime with Daddy.
Ellie and Eva also created their first game. They bounce on a bed taking turns flopping on pillows. They both laugh and laugh and are really patient with each other. Eva started clapping the first time they played the game.
Sleep has graced our house after such a long time away. Eva's down to one wakeup and will go all through the night if the conditions are just right. So we are a much happier set of parents.
We also learned that she loves, loves, loves animals. She squeals with absolute delight when she sees one close by. Her favorite seems to be dogs (she'll excitedly sign dog if you watch closely). If you give her a stuffed toy animal, she'll bury her face in it and will squeeze it nice and tight. It's a sweet personality trait developing.
With all the time we've spent together, Eva and Braden have strengthened their bond. Plus, I'm only nursing once a day so she's being fed equally by me and Braden. She's still more likely to come to me but she's also starting to seek comfort and playtime with Daddy.
Ellie and Eva also created their first game. They bounce on a bed taking turns flopping on pillows. They both laugh and laugh and are really patient with each other. Eva started clapping the first time they played the game.
Sunday, August 3, 2014
Eva Got Gears
We love thinking of our children's little selves as growing machines. It just makes sense to us. In our minds eye, we see little gears being added to their complex system. And no where does this seem more evident than the first year.
More of Eva's gears came online this week. We started the week with a visit to the pediatrician for her nine month check up (90 percentile across the board: 21lbs, 29 ins, head 18ins). She's doing great in almost all the developmental areas except communication. We've been so focused on baby signing that I've honestly have forgotten to do basics like bababa, mamama, dadada, etc.
What's so cool for us is how quickly their little sponge minds work. After a few focused days, she's vocalizing the ba's. And has also seemed to pick up more commands like sit down, where's fill in the blank, please give me, soooo big, not Eva's. So it was probably all there but we just weren't asking her to show us. I also think more baby signs are appearing like more, dog, light. So it's nice to start seeing the inner workings of Eva's personality.
She also started clapping his week, playing games with us, and pulling herself up to standing. She's starting to be more toddler like than baby. I'd love to freeze and enjoy all of these new found abilities for awhile. I know now once we cross into toddlerville tantrums and whining will be joining the party too.
We finished the week off with a visit to the cottage with Grandma and Papa. It took a little while for her to warm up to the place and people. Funny enough, she has an obsession with dogs. So Hunter (their dog) made her most happy the first 24hrs. But once she got thru the transition she had lots of fun playing with her grandparents and on the beach. She's not keen to be in the water yet but loves to play along the water's edge.
So our busy week ends and our busy baby continues on her mission.
More of Eva's gears came online this week. We started the week with a visit to the pediatrician for her nine month check up (90 percentile across the board: 21lbs, 29 ins, head 18ins). She's doing great in almost all the developmental areas except communication. We've been so focused on baby signing that I've honestly have forgotten to do basics like bababa, mamama, dadada, etc.
What's so cool for us is how quickly their little sponge minds work. After a few focused days, she's vocalizing the ba's. And has also seemed to pick up more commands like sit down, where's fill in the blank, please give me, soooo big, not Eva's. So it was probably all there but we just weren't asking her to show us. I also think more baby signs are appearing like more, dog, light. So it's nice to start seeing the inner workings of Eva's personality.
She also started clapping his week, playing games with us, and pulling herself up to standing. She's starting to be more toddler like than baby. I'd love to freeze and enjoy all of these new found abilities for awhile. I know now once we cross into toddlerville tantrums and whining will be joining the party too.
We finished the week off with a visit to the cottage with Grandma and Papa. It took a little while for her to warm up to the place and people. Funny enough, she has an obsession with dogs. So Hunter (their dog) made her most happy the first 24hrs. But once she got thru the transition she had lots of fun playing with her grandparents and on the beach. She's not keen to be in the water yet but loves to play along the water's edge.
So our busy week ends and our busy baby continues on her mission.
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